5 Times Connor Gave Robin a Massage and 1 Time Robin Reciprocated
by Clueless4You
Summary: Something I wanted to try to stay away from the M'gann/Connor ship. I'm not a big fan of M'gann, so I avoid her. Typical 5x1, only explicit friendship. BoyxBoy if you squint. Trigger warning for nightmares and medical procedures.
1. Chapter 1

Superboy was sitting on the couch next to Wolf, his hand absentmindedly running his hand through his friend's white fur and staring at the relaxing fuzz on the television. He felt the calming buzz driving out all of the painful ringing from the day's arguments. For some reason, everybody always decides to argue the loudest when they were in the smallest rooms where the noise constantly assaulted his eardrums. The mind link was so much kinder to his oversensitive hearing.

Just as Superboy's mind was clearing and the heavy fog of sleep was settling over him, a loud metallic thud frightened him out of his peace. Superboy was instantly on his feet and ready to fight the threat. Instead of a villain, all that Superboy saw was Robin entering into the kitchen. Superboy turned back to the television, willing Robin to stay quiet and leave him alone, but a strange sound caught his attention. It was like a choking sound, but very faint. Superboy turned around again, to tell Robin to shut up and stop making that sound, but he was met with the sight of Robin falling to the floor clutching his throat.

Superboy turned on his heel and raced to Robin's side in half an instant. He barely caught the boy before he took a nosedive. Superboy turned Robin on his back and held his head in his own lap. Superboy's hands hovered above Robin's chest, hesitating like he was waiting for the answer. Robin's lips were slowly paling, then turning blue. Robin slapped Superboy's leg harshly, gaining the boy's attention. He began motioning quickly, repeating the motions until Superboy realized that he was speaking in a struggling form of sign language. Superboy began searching his Cadmus education thoroughly before he found a small stock of words in ASL. He could make out a few words and some of the rapidly fingerspelled letters.

"Allergic?" A pained nod. "To bee stings?" Another. "Where's your EpiPen?" Robin looked relieved as he signed again. "In the cupboards to the left of the sink." Superboy hurriedly moved Robin off of his lap and jumped to search the cupboards. He ripped more than one of the doors off of its hinges before spotting the orange tube. He sprinted the twenty feet back to Robin and threw himself on his knees next to the boy. He ripped the cap off with his teeth and steadied Robin's hip and leg with his free hand. With the other, he jammed the needle into the outside of Robin's thigh, through the spandex, and pressed the button. He watched the fluid drain from the pen and pulled the needle back out. He shifted to sit beside Robin's head, waiting for any reaction.

Just a few short moments later, Robin's breathing became noticeably less labored and the blood went back to his lips. Superboy let out a breath that he wasn't aware he had been holding. Superboy felt tears leap unbidden to his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. Robin finally was breathing deeply enough that he could speak again. Superboy helped him to sit up, and Robin of course shot out a snarky remark.

"Makes being a clone of Superman seem pretty okay, doesn't it?" Robin choked out a bitter laugh. He looked up and saw the hurt and fear in Superboy's blue eyes and sighed as much as he could. "I'm sorry Superboy, that's not what I meant. I know how you feel about being his clone and I shouldn't have brought it up."

Superboy waved off his complaints. "It's not a big deal. Are you okay now?" Robin nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He held his hand out and Superboy obliged, pulling him to his feet. Once Robin was upright, he doubled over coughing. Superboy caught him this time, easily pulling the smaller boy up into his arms and took off racing towards the medbay. On the way, he mentally shouted at M'gann to set up a mental link between him and Batman, who was in the tower for a small mission briefing. Only a few members would be going, so Superboy didn't need to be there.

M'gann linked the two up in seconds, with only slight confusion.

 _Superboy? What's going on?_

 _It's Robin. He had an allergic reaction to a bee sting. I gave him his EpiPen but he still isn't okay. It helped some, but he tried to stand and fell over coughing. We are on our way to the medbay right now._

 _I am on my way. Set him up with an oxygen mask and keep him conscious until I get there._

 _Roger._

Superboy felt the connection dissipate and he pushed himself to run even faster than he was. Robin was rubbing at his chest and the whistling in his lungs was not making Superboy feel any better. They arrived at the medbay a few seconds later and Superboy had to hold himself back from breaking the door when it didn't open fast enough.

Superboy ran to the nearest bed and gently set down Robin. He snatched up an oxygen mask and placed it over Robin's nose and mouth, all the while hooking it up to the oxygen tank and turning the tubes to open them all the way. Once the mask was in place and working, Superboy moved to Robin's head and placed his hand on the side, gently brushing through the dark strands. Robin's eyes were half-lidded, but bright and reactive. Superboy clicked his fingers right in front of Robin's nose, trying to keep him awake. The smaller boy flinched and focused on his friend, though with some difficulty. Superboy thanked his lucky stars that Robin was still thinking straight and smiled shakily at the boy.

"Hey Rob, how ya feeling?" Robin grinned but didn't answer. Suddenly, Robin was coughing again, struggling to bring in air. His hands flitted rapidly, and Superboy acted without thinking. He lifted Robin's head and torso and sat on the bed, holding the boy upright. Superboy placed his hand on Robin's sternum and gently pressed down, rubbing in small circles. Robin smiled again, wider this time, and Superboy listened as his breathing loosened and the whistling went away slightly. He might not normally like his super hearing, but at times like this he wouldn't trade it for the world. If it meant keeping Robin safe, Superboy would do anything.

Superboy kept gently rubbing Robin's chest for almost two more minutes before Batman rushed through the door. He was closely monitoring the boy's breathing and heartbeat to make sure no more changes occurred. Superboy looked up slightly at the Bat's arrival, but still kept up the rubbing and whispering softly in Robin's ear. Batman worked around the pair, administering drugs and clipping wires and sensors to Robin's body. When it came time for the ECG sensors, Superboy took it upon himself to unzip and remove Robin's uniform, still managing to keep the boy nearly still for the entire process. At some point, Superman wandered into the medbay and was marveling at the extreme control Superboy was exhibiting over his powers. The boy had no control in combat situations or in normal circumstances, but put him in the position of protecting his best friend and he was a gentle as an average human would be with a child.

After half an hour of being poked, prodded, injected, and otherwise examined, Robin nearly threw the rest of the justice league out, leaving only him and Superboy. Robin took his first easy deep breath in almost an hour and relished every second of it. He held it for just a moment too long, however, and started another small coughing fit.

Superboy rubbed at his friend's chest, ribs, and collarbones to relieve the pressure of the coughs and allow him to relax again. When he was finished, Robin shot Superboy another snarky grin and chuckled. "You know, I might just have to keep you around for these. You made it go away in about a third of the time it normally does."

Superboy grimaced. "So it normally takes a couple of hours to go away?" Robin nodded, sneering. "How often do you get them?"

Robin frowned. "More than I'd like to get them, that's for sure. Probably about one or two times a month, which is a lot. I'm not honestly feeling the aster when it comes to these. It gets kind of touch-and-go every once in a while, which is not cool."

Robin's voice was still hoarse, so Superboy leaned to get a glass of water. "Don't go!" Superboy stilled and looked at Robin. The Boy Wonder looked a little surprised by his own outburst, and turned slightly pink. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that you couldn't go, just that I… I guess I want you to… stay with me… Please?"

Superboy looked down at the boy in his arms with his eyes downcast and his cheeks turning pink from the embarrassment, and wondered how he was ever the badass little spitfire that disappeared and took out four bad guys without making a single sound. He would never understand.

"Of course I'll stay with you. I'm not going anywhere." Robin looked up happily and gave Superboy a genuine smile.

When Batman came in to check on his protégé later and found the two boys still in the same positions, he didn't question it. He just adjusted one of the IVs, checked Robin's breathing and heart rate, and placed an extra pillow behind Superboy's head to make sure his neck didn't hurt too bad when he woke up.

Superboy never told that he was awake for the whole thing, woken by the scrape of the door on tile. Still, if he was a little more comfortable around Batman afterwards, no one said anything.


	2. Chapter 2

It was just two weeks later that during a battle, Superboy heard the sharp buzzing sound of insects. He turned to face Robin and saw the boy absentmindedly swatting at them as he jumped away from Joker. Superboy charged, mind blank but with rage, and punched. Joker moved his head out of the way quickly, ducking under the fist and continuing towards Robin. Still, Superboy hit his target. He felt the stinger brush across his knuckles as he punched a bee, and it fell to the ground. Suddenly he felt a sharp tug on his shirt and saw that one of the Joker's henchmen, Joan- or maybe it was Punch, he couldn't honestly tell- had latched onto him. Superboy tried to keep his feet planted, but the henchman threw him anyway.

He flew several yards, landing against a brick wall next to Robin. The Boy Wonder looked incredulous. "What the hell just happened?"

Superboy pulled himself to his feet and extended a hand to Robin. "There was a bee, I didn't want it to get you, so I got rid of it."

Robin pulled with Superboy to get to his feet and then smacked him with the back of his hand. "You think a bee is more dangerous than the Joker? Get your head in the game, Superboy!" Superboy frowned, but he leaped back into the action. The two of them paired up and quickly defeated Joan and Punch, shoving them into a brick wall and knocking them unconscious. They turn around and spot Joker. He was fighting hand-to-hand with Artemis and Wally, keeping up easily and at times looking like he wasn't even trying. Robin leaped into action quickly, throwing himself into the fight and landing twice as many hits on the Joker as were landed on him.

Superboy jumped over some boxes and threw his own punches, significantly more effective than the other three's hits. The Joker was quickly beaten, then hog tied and thrown into a police car.

"You know what Superboy, we've gotta get something else to call you. Superboy is just such a mouthful."

Superboy looked thoughtful. "What about… Kon-El?" he had a basic understanding of Kryptonian culture and based his name off of the naming tendencies.

Robin grinned. "That's a good Kryptonian name. And then your Earth name could be Connor!" The little bird looked to the ground, slightly embarrassed. "Of course, only if you like it. Do you? …Like it?"

Superboy grinned. "Connor… I like the sound of that… Connor it is!" Robin started to laugh heartily. Connor joined in chuckling, placing a hand gently onto Robin's shoulder.

The boy groaned loudly, one hand moving to clutch at the sore muscles. Connor immediately quieted, hands hovering over the boy, ready to steady him.

"I'm good, Kon. Just a little bruised and battered from Joan and Punch." Connor's face shifted into protective older brother mode and he scooped Robin up in his arms. He leaped quickly into the bioship and set him down carefully in a chair. It molded to the shape of Robin's back, relieving some of the unwanted pressure on his bruised ribs. Connor stroked Robin's jaw for a moment, peering into Robin's domino mask. After a moment with no response, Connor moved his hands to Robin's shoulders and gently prodded the area with his fingertips. Slowly, gently, Connor moved his hands methodically down Robin's arms, rubbing at the taut muscles and working out the kinks.

Robin didn't make a sound, but the way his eyes began to drift closed and his head lolled backwards, it was evident how pleased he was with the treatment. By the time the bioship landed in Mount Justice, Robin was completely asleep, and Connor was holding him gently in his arms. The Kryptonian walked off the bioship easily and found himself absently walking toward the kitchen. He knew that the security on Robin's bedroom door was far more advanced than he could follow, but he didn't want to wake the Boy Wonder to open a door, and that Robin would not take kindly to waking up in somebody else's bed. So, the only logical option was to sleep on the couch for just that one night and then never speak of it again. So that's what they did. Superboy woke up in the morning to the smell of burning eggs, and Robin was gone.

Connor stood up and opened his mouth, ready to speak to M'gann.

"Hiya Kon, how was the lumpy bumpy couch?"

Connor jumped nearly a foot. He looked up and saw Robin, perched on the back of the couch and grinning widely at him.

"You had it rough, no pillow, no blanket. I, on the other hand, had a quite exceptional experience with the couch." M'gann blushed bright pink and floated quickly out of the room. Connor thought back to how he had been lying on the couch with Robin the night before.

Robin's head had been resting on Connor's bicep, his back pressed to the backrest of the couch, and Connor's other arm had been flung carelessly overtop of the boy. All in all, Robin was fairly well-equipped with a pillow and blanket, while the only source of heat Connor had was the small bundle of spandex and equipment wrapped in his arms.

"Whatever, Boy Wonder. You're a little heating pad." Robin smirked.

"I guess that just means that we're going to have to do it again sometime."


	3. Chapter 3

Connor was woken by the sound of screams echoing through the halls of Mount Justice. He jumped out of bed, ready to fight. There was nothing there. Connor strained his ears, listening as hard as he could, and he heard struggling and small outbursts coming from several rooms down.

Thinking someone had somehow broken into the mountain, Connor dashed out of his door and followed the sounds. He came to a stop outside of what he recognized as Robin's room. Connor only hesitated for a moment before hearing another cry from within. He rammed his shoulder into the door and broke it down, poised to attack anything hurting his friend.

Instead of a villain, Robin was fighting the blankets covering him. Connor paused, confused. It only lasted a few seconds, because when Robin cried out again, Superboy was next to him in an instant. He placed one hand on Robin's shoulder and the other on one of the flailing arms. This just made Robin struggle harder and cry out louder.

"Stop! Please, stop! Don't hurt him!" Robin's outburst made Connor ease his grip on the young boy and gently shake him, rather than pin him.

"Robin! Robin, come on, wake up!" The boy didn't. "Robin, it's okay. No one is hurting anyone. It's okay, don't worry. You're protecting us. There's no way you would let us get hurt." Connor continued to murmur soft words of comfort. Gradually, Robin's thrashing diminished and he stilled. Connor flinched as he saw Robin's eyes close more tightly, then closed his own. His hand reached for the domino mask that he knew was on the nightstand and handed it to the slowly waking boy.

Robin made a hoarse sound of thanks and Connor heard him adjusting the mask onto his face. The Kryptonian opened his eyes slowly, and his vision was filled with the sight of one of the strongest people he had ever met shaking visibly, with tear tracks making their way down his face. Connor was taken aback by the sight. He felt helpless watching his best friend wipe frantically at his face. Robin sniffed loudly, though he tried to hide it. Superboy released Robin from his restricting hand and sat back.

"Robin, do you…" the boy looked up at his friend, nose still red, but face finally dry. "Do you want to talk about it at all?"

The little bird looked disappointed by this question, but he quickly shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll be good. It happens a lot." Connor could feel his heart clench in sympathy. He began to speak once more, but thought better of it. Instead, he just opened his arms questioningly. Robin looked confused for a few seconds, then his mask fell and he threw himself into Superboy's arms.

Connor wrapped his arms tightly around the boy, but was careful not to hurt him. His hand drifted up to cradle the boy's head. His body shook, but he didn't release the sobs. Connor heard the small hiccups and buried his nose in the top of Robin's head. "Shh, you're alright. No one's gonna hurt anyone."

Robin tensed for a long moment, before he couldn't hold it back anymore and broke down in Connor's arms. "It was y-you!"

Connor felt horror speed down his spine. "What?" He was the reason Robin was so broken right now?

"We were on a mission, and the Joker was there, and he got us all! He had kryptonite, and he was hurting you!" Robin's whole body shuddered pitifully. His voice got quiet. "It… it was… awful."

Connor was shocked. His best friend cared about him enough that he had nightmares of him being hurt by a villain they had barely even fought against. He rubbed his hand comfortingly up and down Robin's back, slowly calming the boy. "It's okay. I'm right here, I'm not hurt. It's okay."

He could hear Robin's heart beating too fast, and he could feel it against his chest. The boy's fists were clenched tightly in Connor's Superman t-shirt. His skinny arms squeezed with all the strength he had. "It was so real…" He buried his face into the Superman logo. Connor pressed his cheek against the fluffy dark hair and sighed.

Connor finally pushed gently at Robin's shoulders and made a few inches of room between the two of them. "Look at me. Robin, look at me." The young boy shyly forced his eyes to meet Connor's bright blue ones. "I'm right here. No one's going to hurt me anytime soon. And you know what?" Robin looked slightly confused. "Even if we did get kidnapped, I know that you would do everything you could to protect me. I'm not worried about the Joker, and you shouldn't be either. It's alright, Robin."

The veteran hero looked ready to cry again. He bit his lip and nodded. "Okay. Okay. I can do that."

"I know you can." Connor rewrapped Robin in his grasp and continued rubbing his back gently. After just a few moments, Robin began relaxing into his chest. In less than three minutes, Robin was fast asleep, slung in Connor's arms and gripping the front of his t-shirt. Connor cradled the boy to him as he laid down in Robin's bed and gently pulled the blankets up to cover them both. "Goodnight, baby bird."

When he woke up, Connor was being shaken by Robin, who was already in full uniform and clearly had been up for a while.

"I'm going to breakfast; I figured you'd want some before Wally shows up." Connor nodded and rolled out of the bed. He ran a hand quickly through his dark hair to make it at least somewhat presentable and began walking next to Robin.

They emerged from Robin's room at the same time that M'gann floated from hers. She spotted the two and blushed, wide-eyed. She stammered a hello and zoomed off. Connor stared after her. "What just happened?"

Robin coughed out a laugh. "She thinks we slept together last night."

"We did." Connor still was confused.

Robin hiccupped. "Not the way she's thinking we did. We slept in the same bed, but she thinks we _slept together_ … like had sex." Now it was Connor's turn to blush bright red. The color even began seeping into his neck.

"Oh… what do we tell them so they don't think that?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter what they think we do, as long as they don't make a big deal out of it." Robin started walking briskly down the hall towards the kitchen, leaving Connor behind.

"Oh… okay."


	4. Chapter 4

It happened too fast. Superboy was distracted by Bane, he didn't have the time to free his hands and help. He heard the small exclamation and saw Robin flying towards the wall. Superboy pulled with all his strength, but Bane kept his hold and Superboy accomplished nothing. He kept his head turned to watch as Robin hit the wall with his hip first, then the rest of him followed quickly after. Superboy saw red. He lost control of his strength and lifted Bane into the air. He tossed the villain aside like it was nothing and continued on a rage, attacking the rest of the baddies around. Poison Ivy, Riddler, Icicle Jr. and Sr., the Terror Twins, all fell easily to his rage. He saw the rest of the team look at him like they were scared of him, and he finally regained enough sense to calm down. He forced himself to loosen his muscles, forced himself to relax and let go of the anger. His eyes wandered to the place where Robin had hit the wall and the small spots of blood made the anger drain from him and the worry flood through him in its place. Connor rushed to the small bundle of red and green on the ground.

Robin was awake, clutching his knee and whimpering almost silently, so that Connor could barely hear it. Connor bundled up the boy, sitting him up and resting the bony back against his chest. "Hey, hey, you're alright. It's okay, we're going to get you back to Mount Justice and you're going to bet fixed up and back to new in no time." Robin shook his head.

"Connor, it hurts! Make it go away!" Connor shushed him and gently squeezed one of his hands. Robin's other hand remained near his knee, gripping tightly just above it. Connor could already see the swelling and bruising. It would not be pretty in the morning. Connor slowly reached down and grabbed the other hand, pulling it away from the damaged area. Robin whined again.

"I'm sorry, Robin, I know it hurts. Shh, now, it's okay. You'll be okay." Connor maneuvered himself to be crouched next to Robin, rather than beside him. He slid his hands gently around Robin's shoulders and under Robin's thighs. The boy winced slightly at the new pressure. "M'gann, can you do something to keep his leg from moving while we get him to the bioship?"

Miss Martian nodded and quickly focused her psychic powers. "You're good now, Superboy." Connor immediately stood and started walking quickly and carefully towards the bioship. The group ran ahead and jumped in. When Connor stood directly below it, they lowered the bioship so that the opening encircled him. Connor took a step up and was in the bioship, and they were racing off towards Mount Justice.

Robin shifted and groaned with every slight shift. He gritted his teeth and pushed his face into Connor's chest. His hands wrapped around Connor's bicep and gripped it tightly. He dug his fingers in, fingernails painfully scratching against the skin. Connor buried his nose in Robin's dark hair and hummed softly into it, tears welling in his eyes and painfully burning the back of his throat.

They got back to Mount Justice and Connor immediately stepped into the zeta tubes with Robin.

 _At the Watchtower_

Batman was staring intently at the screens in the Watchtower, trying to figure out the movements of the latest baddies, when a robotic voice announced an arrival through the zeta tubes.

 _Recognized: Robin, B01. Recognized: Superboy, B04._

Batman turned in his chair, ready to ask about the mission. He was cut off by the sight of his son in Superboy's arms being rushed towards the medbay. Batman snapped his mouth shut, resituated his calm demeanor, and followed closely after the two boys. Neither of them spoke until they were inside the medbay and Robin was on one of the tables.

"What happened?" Connor gritted his teeth.

"I wasn't there to help him." He spoke through the mind link to M'gann. _You can let go of his leg now._

 _Okay Superboy. How's he doing?_

 _Not so hot._ Connor placed a hand on the boy's forehead and smoothed back his hair. _He's got a fever._

"That's not what I asked, Superboy. What happened to Robin?"

"He got tossed into a wall. The wall didn't break. He did." Connor felt anger flooding through him once more. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

"And the villains?"

"I took them out." Batman blinked.

"Okay. Let's get started. Hold him down and make sure he doesn't move his leg. I need to see how badly broken it is."

Connor nodded. He grabbed both of Robin's wrists with one hand and placed his forearm along the length of his sternum. With the other hand, Connor pushed gently on Robin's thigh, above the swelling. He locked eyes as best as he could with the feverish boy and squeezed his hand. Robin nodded and straightened his spine, though Connor could tell that the boy was very, very afraid.

Batman began to prod at the swollen joint, and Robin's hands both immediately tightened on Connor's. He tried his hardest not to release Robin's leg and just hug the boy. It crossed his mind more than once. When Robin began whimpering, Connor wished that something would just come and tear his ears off. When Robin started shaking under his grip, Connor closed his eyes. After Robin couldn't stop himself anymore and he started struggling against Connor, he buried his face in their clasped hands and shook his head. He stayed there until he heard Batman sigh and sit back. Connor lifted his head enough to see Batman's face.

The man was in almost as bad shape as Robin had been. His face was drawn and tired, even under the mask. His shoulders hunched, and his hands shook. Still, the most profound thing was seeing tear tracks drying on Batman's face. He hadn't even taken the time to wipe them away yet. Connor felt his throat constrict.

"Is he going to be okay?" Connor was frightened by the lack of reaction from the bat. "Hey! Is he going to be okay?"

Batman shook his head, like he was coming out of a deep slumber. "He needs surgery. Once that's over, we'll know more."

Connor nodded. "I want to help." Batman shook his head and stood. He filled a syringe with clear liquid and forced out all of the air. He injected it gently into Robin's thigh before he answered.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. If you chicken out, Robin dies. You don't get to chicken, you don't get to leave. You do what I say when I say it."

Connor nodded. "I understand. He's my best friend. He's the one who got me out of Cadmus, he's the one who taught me about living in the real world, he's the one who made me me. I'm not leaving him alone during this."

"Alright. Hand me that scalpel and let's get started."

 _Four hours later_

Connor was sitting next to Robin's head, one hand resting on Robin's shoulder and the other supporting his own head. His eyes kept drifting closed, despite the constant beeping in his ear. He had been sitting there for twenty-eight minutes, after a three-and-a-half-hour surgery. He was staring at Robin's domino mask, eye slits slightly pinched like they got when he concentrated. Connor was listening, beyond the beeps, to the pulsing of Robin's heart and the inhale-exhale of his breathing. It was rhythmic and lulling, pushing him farther and farther towards sleep.

Suddenly, there was a lurch in the inhale-exhale. Connor's eyes snapped open. Robin was shifting, waking up, and there were no painkillers in his system. Connor had no idea where they were kept, or how to administer them, or anything about drugs in general. So instead, Connor did what he knew how to do. Connor pressed his thumb into Robin's shoulder and began rubbing in small circles. Connor knew that it wasn't doing much to relieve the pain, but he hoped that it was at least some small comfort for the boy. Robin shifted again, then fell back into unconsciousness. Connor continued rubbing gently, up and down the boy's arms and the sides of his ribs.

Robin woke up the next day with his leg throbbing in pain, but otherwise comfortable. He marveled at how he wasn't sore, despite being worked to the bone yesterday fighting. He felt a warm hand resting on his forearm and looked down to see Connor sleeping deeply, resting his head on the side of the bed. He sat up slowly, trying not to disturb the boy resting, and snatched up the blanket lying folded on the foot of the bed. He unfolded it with a snap of his wrist and draped it gently over Connor's shoulders.

He laid back down and grinned to himself. Connor drooled when he slept facedown.


	5. Chapter 5

Robin stood next to Wally as they were briefed on their upcoming mission. The speedster was shoving handfuls of chips in his mouth at lightning speed, still managing to listen to Batman at the same time. Robin wrinkled his nose in distaste as Wally belched loudly and threw the balled-up chip bag away.

It was a mission in Estonia, a country near Russia. They were to go undercover and spy on Bane's deal. Covert, no combat, stealth mode only. Robin grinned, ready to take on the world if he could.

Connor rejected the offer of a coat from M'gann. He was Superboy; the cold didn't affect him. He jumped into the bioship, and they were off. Robin was grinning from ear to ear and bouncing in his seat. The sight made Connor's mouth tilt up in a smile. He was glad the kid was excited to go.

They made it to Estonia in record time, only taking three hours to get there. They parked the bioship a good two hundred meters away from the target and got out. The Baltic Sea was nearby, only a few dozen meters from the warehouse. They all crept to their designated locations and hid. Only four minutes later, they saw Bane and a figure dressed in all black emerging from the warehouse. They all shifted into mission mode, ready to act on a moment's notice. Artemis didn't even notice the man creeping up on her until she heard the swoosh and was hit in the head by the butt of a gun.

M'gann instantly noticed the lack of Artemis's thoughts in the mind link, and called out a warning to the rest of the team. Before he could react, Connor was hit with a smoke bomb filled with… something… that made him pass out in seconds. Kaldur was hit over the head with a large rock. Wally was choked by a robotic monkey thing. He fought for a few moments, but the monkey wouldn't relinquish its grip and Wally passed out. M'gann fought well, but a lackey pulled out a flamethrower and M'gann was done for.

Robin, on the other hand, fought fiercely for several minutes. He jumped, weaved, punched, kicked, and flipped his way through nearly two dozen men before Bane deigned to grace him with his presence. Robin finished off another four lackeys and went toe-to-toe with the big man, hitting him, getting hit, and overall enjoying himself very much. Robin stepped on Bane's shoulder and started a triple flip.

Halfway into the spin, Robin caught sight of a large black spot in the corner of his vision. He turned his head to look, and noticed Superboy being dragged to the other side of the warehouse by three lackeys. Robin forgot entirely about Bane and started following his friend. Bane grabbed the boy by the ankles and shook him thoroughly. When Bane finished, Robin couldn't tell up from down and he felt like his lunch was going to make a reappearance. When Bane threw him into the icy waters of the Baltic Sea, Robin couldn't do anything to argue. The cold stole the breath from his lungs and he quickly succumbed.

Robin woke to the sounds of his shouting friends. He blearily opened his eyes and saw the other five members of his team tied up and immobilized. Artemis and Kaldur had small amounts of blood on their faces and necks from the blows they had sustained, Wally had a thick, dark line around his neck, and M'gann looked like she was severely dehydrated. Superboy looked okay physically, but he also looked worried out of his mind.

The Boy Wonder only noticed then that he was hanging upside down and _freezing._ He could feel himself shaking and he knew it was not good. Robin tried to move his arms, but his movements were much slower than he intended for them to be. He then tried to speak to his friends. His mouth opened, but the words were horribly slurred.

"Cahn..Cahnner… whu hapd? Yuu gieshs ahlrie?" Robin blinked at his own words. _M'gann, ment' ling?_ At least it was a little better in his mind.

 _Of course, Robin. All linked up._

 _Gud. Ahr you guyes ahlrite?_ A chorus of resounding yeses filled his mind and he managed to grin a little. Suddenly, a feeling overwhelmed the link. Robin looked to his friends and saw the worry written all over their faces. _Ahm okaey. Cubba wahrm coacoah wihll ficks meh raight ub._

The group heard a clanking noise and Bane walked into the room. Robin saw a green glow in his pocket and started thrashing. _Connehr thehre's Kryptonite! Break ouht while youh still cahn!_ Robin managed to snap the rope constricting him in two different places, and it slipped off of him the rest of the way. He fell to the ground in a heap, bruising his shoulder and smashing his head onto the ground in the process.

Robin forced himself to stand shakily and face Bane. Robin's eyes focused and he saw that the green glow was actually emanating from the laser gun Bane was holding. Robin sagged involuntarily, but stayed on his feet. Connor landed heavily beside him and stood in a fighting position, goading Bane into combat. Bane charged, and Connor sidestepped the onslaught. He grabbed Bane's venom tube and yanked it out of his head, throwing the now-tiny Bane into a wall and knocking him unconscious.

Connor walked to the rest of the group and tore their restraints off, freeing the team. Robin moved to join them, but his leg gave out on him and he crumpled to the floor. Wally was there to catch him in a fraction of a second, and Connor was already shouting for M'gann to see what was wrong with him.

M'gann did a quick mental examination and came back to reality shaking. "His mind's a mess; I can't make out anything. All I know is that he's really cold and he really needs to get warm fast." Wally nodded and sprinted to the bioship with Robin in his arms.

The rest of the team followed as quickly as they could and M'gann took the controls. They were off within a minute. Connor walked slowly over to Wally where he sat with Robin. "What's wrong with him? His heartbeat is too slow and he's struggling to breathe." Wally looked up, shocked.

"He's cold. He's got hypothermia and he needs to get warmed up now." He looked up at Connor thoughtfully. "I don't think I'm doing a very good job. My metabolism keeps my body temperature pretty low. Plus my suit keeps all my heat in so I'm not doing a good job at all."

Connor looked thoughtful. "What should I do?"

"Just hold him and make sure you're touching as much of him as possible." Connor nodded and held out his arms. Wally passed Robin to the younger boy and Robin instantly started curling towards the warmth. Connor held the boy more tightly. Robin's hands slipped underneath Connor's shirt and the young Kryptonian shivered. His hands were so cold!

Connor grabbed his friend's hands and wrapped his arms around his neck. Robin's fingers dug into Connor's neck, gripping as much warmth as he could. Connor also toed off the other boy's shoes and his own, and Robin automatically intertwined their legs. Connor, not one to by bothered even by arctic temperatures, was shivering with all of his body heat being stolen by Robin.

The larger boy began to knead his fingers into Robin's spine. The boy arched his back into the pressure. He continued to move his fingers up and down again and again. Once they got to Mount Justice, Robin was almost totally warmed up. Robin smiled shakily up at his friend and buried his face in the warm material of his shirt again.

When they arrived at Mount Justice, Batman rushed out of the cave with several thick blankets in his hands and snatched Robin out of Superboy's arms. Connor caught one last glance from within Batman's grasp from Robin. He looked almost disappointed to be away from the Kryptonian. Connor felt a tightening in his chest at the thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin stood silently as Batman gave them a new mission assignment. It was Lex Luthor this time. The man had hired several low-level criminals to do his dirty work, but there was no way to prove that it was him. The mission was to infiltrate Lex Luthor's office and steal any incriminating evidence. It went according to plan, up until Luthor walked in on Robin working with the computer and capturing the little bird.

Luthor caged the Boy Wonder and took him to a summer home of his. From his cage, hung high in the air, Robin could see a large pool, a tennis court, and a tetherball pole. There was a large expanse of sandy beach as well, presumably for when Luthor didn't want to worry about chlorine or some other stupid qualm. They were on a higher floor, maybe seven or eight stories up.

Robin only had to wait for a few hours before the team found his location. They stormed the house, only to be met with considerable opposition. Connor started pounding on the bad guys while Artemis and Kaldur were busy battling Catwoman. M'gann and Psimon were in yet another mental matchup, and Wally was busy working with Captain Cold. In a small pause between waves of soldiers, Connor managed to throw Robin his lockpick.

Suddenly, Luthor walked back into the room, this time brandishing a large lump of glowing green mineral.

"Connor!" Robin dropped his lockpick and shook the bars of his cage fiercely. "Luthor, don't you dare touch him or I swear to God!" Connor cried out and fell to his knees as Luthor moved closer. The other members of the team tried to help, but their respective combatants wouldn't let them leave. Luthor grinned.

"What are you going to do about it, little birdie? Fly in to rescue your _friend_?" Robin gritted his teeth. Luthor approached Connor and held up one end of a rope. Robin's eyes traced it to its source and found that it was tied tightly around the Kryptonite.

"NO!" Robin threw himself at the cage with renewed vigor. Luthor pressed the Kryptonite to Connor's chest, making Superboy cry out once more. Robin snatched the lockpick off of the ground and set to work immediately. He kept glancing up to watch as Luthor wrapped the rope around Connor's chest and pinned the Kryptonite there.

When he was done tying the rope, Luthor snapped his fingers and stepped back. Blockbuster stomped through the door, breaking it as he went. Robin froze for a moment. What could they have been trying to do? Blockbuster smashed his way through the crowds of people and snatched up Superboy by the collar. Connor just groaned in response. Robin set to the lock, going as fast as he could. He couldn't let them hurt Connor!

Luthor snapped his fingers again just as Robin felt the lock click open. Robin swung the door to his cage open-

And Blockbuster threw Superboy through the window.

Robin let out a feral scream and launched himself after his friend, but he was caught around the waist by Blockbuster. Robin watched as his friend fell down, down, and out of sight. Robin felt a wave of despair roll over him, quickly replaced by devouring rage. He tore himself out of Blockbuster's grip and struck with flurry after flurry of blows raining down on him. Robin quickly pushed Blockbuster through a wall with a ferocious kick. When the villain didn't come back for more, Robin turned and leaped out of the new hole in the window.

He aimed himself for the pool, angling himself so that he wouldn't be flattened on impact. He broke the surface of the water and turned, shooting up almost just as quickly. He breached the pool and searched around for his friend. He fearfully turned to the solid ground, sighing in relief as he saw no body and no blood.

Then where did Superboy go?

His fear for his friend renewed, Robin dove down into the pool once more and peered around underwater. There, at the bottom of the deep end, was Connor.

The Kryptonite was still attached firmly to his chest and now his eyes were closed. Robin felt himself shiver with the cold fear trickling its way down his spine. Robin swam with all his might for Connor and wrapped his arm around the bigger boy's torso. He pushed off the ground as hard as he could and kicked.

The two boys surfaced simultaneously, and Robin raced to the edge of the pool. He balanced Superboy precariously on the concrete and pulled himself up smoothly. He yanked Superboy the rest of the way out of the water and laid him flat on the ground. He ripped the Kryptonite off of his friend's body and threw it as far away as he could.

Robin placed one hand on the side of Connor's face and searched the boy's features for signs of life. After a few seconds with no reactions, he moved his hand to Connor's neck and began to try and find a pulse. No luck. With growing desperation, Robin moved his ear to Connor's mouth and listened for breathing. Still, there was nothing.

Robin cursed loudly and placed his hands on Connor's chest. He pressed down firmly.

 _One_

Connor waking up in Cadmus, Robin seeing his brilliant blue eyes for the first time.

 _Two_

Fighting next to Connor, watching him realize his power.

 _Three_

Connor walking into Mount Justice.

 _Four_

Realizing that he has an actual family now; people to fight with, be friends, laugh.

 _Five_

Seeing it flash across Connor's face as he had the same epiphany.

 _Six_

Understanding just how protective Connor is of this new family.

 _Seven_

Watching something snap in Connor as he watched his friends being hurt by the Reds.

 _Eight_

Sitting at the table and laughing with his friend, his newfound brother.

 _Nine_

Staring at Connor while he absentmindedly stroked Wolf and gazed at the calming static.

 _Ten_

Connor's comforting hands flitting over his back as he woke up from nightmare after nightmare and woke Connor with his screams and cries.

 _Eleven_

Connor admitting his fears of being inadequate, hearing that final wall between them finally break and crumble into dust.

 _Twelve_

Celebrating Connor's first birthday outside of Cadmus, and not being able to decide whether he was seventeen or one.

 _Thirteen_

M'gann's face when Wally shoved a piece of cake in her face to explain a prank to Connor

 _Fourteen_

Calming Connor down after a botched mission or a therapy session.

 _Fifteen_

The rough skin of Connor's hands firmly wrapped around his neck when he went instinctive on their first mission to Byalia.

 _Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen_

Connor smiling for the first time after being told that he's part of a team now, and that we all look out for each other.

 _Nineteen Twenty Twenty-One_

Connor hugging him gently when he finally emerged from an imploded building. Hugging back tightly, just glad to see the boy alive.

 _Twenty-Two_

Connor's animalistic growl and protective stance when Artemis jokingly hit Robin, accidentally catching a sensitive bruise.

 _Twenty-Three_

The late nights when Connor can't even get to sleep for the total silence, telling stories about the good old days of Gotham and demented clowns.

 _Twenty-Four_

Connor's face when he first saw the 'J' carved into his chest, courtesy of Joker.

 _Twenty-Five_

The way Connor relaxes when he's listening to a song he likes

 _Twenty-Six_

The face Connor made the first time he tried chocolate cake or popcorn or peppermint candy or coconut cream pie.

 _Twenty-Seven Twenty-Eight Twenty-Nine_

The way Connor would press his face into the Superman symbol on his shirt when he was crying or upset, the innate control he had over himself when dealing with Robin.

 _Thirty_

Connor's brilliant blue eyes, wide and staring as they took in the wonders of the world around him for the first time.

Now those eyes were closed and the skin around them bruised. Robin tilted Connor's head back and forced two breaths into his lungs. Robin choked back a sob when Connor still didn't move. He started the compressions again, and the memories, the images, all flowed through him again.

Robin kept going, forcing himself to work through the pain in his chest and arms, the ache in his abdomen and the blurred vision. He grabbed a birdarang and ripped through Connor's shirt, wincing as the Superman symbol was shredded. Robin tore the shirt away from Connor's body. He pulled out two electric discs and pressed them to either side of his friend's torso, his left hand higher up than his right. He pressed the buttons simultaneously, watching as Connor's body tensed harshly with the electricity.

He pulled the discs away and pressed his ear just above Connor's heart. There was no reassuring _thump thump_.

Robin started the fourth round of compressions, remaining strong. He couldn't just give up, not on his best friend! Not on Connor!

After the fifth round, he blew two more breaths into Connor's body and stopped. He finally let the tears flow. He continued to breathe for his friend, his brother. Four more breaths came before Robin brought himself back to rest by Connor's chest and throw his weight onto the already shattered ribs.

Another thirty compressions, another two breaths, and one more shock.

A small gasp sounded when Connor's body relaxed after the shock. Robin allowed himself a small sliver of hope as he stared desperately at the closed eyes. His fingers searched out the juncture at his neck and jaw.

 _thud… thud…_ _thud…_

Silence.

Robin screamed in frustration and began again. Thirty compressions, two breaths, one shock, listen.

Nothing.

Thirty, two, one.

Nothing.

Thirty, two, one.

 _thud… thud… thud… thud… Thud… Thud Thud THud THud THUd THUd THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD_

Robin nearly cried with the relief. He kept his fingers firmly on the quivering vein. He counted to twenty with no change. Then, it started to fade and weaken again.

"What the hell? No! Don't do this to me, Kon!" Robin leaned his face over Connor's, gently slapping his cheeks. They reddened normally.

Robin placed his ear right next to Connor's mouth.

There was no movement.

Robin grunted and repositioned Connor's head, checking once more for air flow. Still, nothing came out of or went into Connor's mouth.

The Boy Wonder pinched off Connor's nose and began rescue breathing. The fingers keeping Connor's head up kept drifting down to where his pulse had begun regaining strength. As long as his heart was beating regularly, Robin could handle breathing.

Twenty minutes later, the rest of the team showed up. They were shocked to see Robin still breathing for Connor. He absently heard M'gann's gasp of horror at Superboy's prone form, he could smell the sweat rolling off of Wally as he came to a stop, mere feet from his workspace.

"If you want something to do-" he breathed for Connor. "you could always call Batman-" a breath "and the rest of the League-" a breath "or an ambulance." It was quickly decided that Kaldur would call the League, being the team leader, and Artemis would call an ambulance, being the closest thing to an average teenager they had.

Twelve breaths later, Connor took a gasp for himself. Robin helped the boy roll over and gently rubbed between his shoulder blades as he coughed up several mouthfuls of water.

"Hey, Kon, welcome back!" Robin grinned from ear to ear. When Connor collapsed again onto his back, Robin caught the boy and helped him to somewhat sit up. Robin's hand went to the other side of Connor's head and cradled it there.

Superboy, exhausted, let his body slump into Robin's arms. Robin didn't complain at all, even wiping an excess bit of water from Connor's chin after a secondary coughing fit. "You really had me worried there, bud." Robin chuckled into Connor's dark hair. M'gann floated around to see why he was so giddy about his best friend almost dying, and saw that Robin was quietly crying rather than laughing.

At that point, the sirens from the ambulance were audible. Robin sniffled and smiled a little. "If you ever try saying that Kryptonians don't need to breathe again, I will shoot you myself."

Connor managed a small grin in response. _Never_. He signed discreetly.

The ambulance pulled up seconds later and two EMTs jumped out with a stretcher. Connor had fallen unconscious again, and Robin was gently rocking back and forth with the larger boy in his arms. They ran to his side and Robin reluctantly relinquished Connor.

They strapped an oxygen mask to Connor's face and monitored his vitals, though they stayed put as per the request of the team. Batman would come and they would take Connor to the medbay in the Watchtower. They opened his eyes and peered at his pupils before allowing Robin to retake his position.

They sat there for a few minutes before they heard the roar of the Batmobile and the Caped Crusader pulled up next to the group.

They quickly placed Connor across the backseat with his head in Robin's lap. Batman drove off again, and the rest of the team followed in the bioship.

Connor woke up a full four days later, disoriented and frightened. He tried to yell, but his throat was too dry. He made a few hoarse calls before he noticed a small bundle on the bed. Connor made his eyes focus on the bundle, and he discovered the back of a dark head of hair.

"Robin?" His hand stretched for the boy and he rested it on his shoulder. He shifted, and a domino mask peered up at him.

"Kon?" the Kryptonian nodded. "Kon, you're awake!" The young boy launched himself into his friend's arms and clung tightly to his neck. "I'm glad you're back." The boy's voice was teary and thick. Connor pushed him away, making a small bit of distance between them. Connor's eyes betrayed the concern that he couldn't voice.

"I thought… I thought that maybe you weren't going to come back."

Connor's mind flashed to the nightmare that Robin had had about him being hurt while under the effects of kryptonite and he gritted his teeth. He shook his head fiercely and pulled Robin to his chest again. He swore then and there that he would never abandon his birdie again.


End file.
